Now, Moses reminded them that, feeling unable to carry any longer the burden of a quarreling people by himself, he had followed the counsel of Jethro and had said to the people: “Get wise and discreet and experienced men of your tribes, that I may set them as heads over you.”​—Deut. 1:3, 12, 13; Ex. 18:17-26.

2. Why was the use of such men in handling problems not something radically new and different?

² In selecting these men, Moses was drawing on what appears to be the oldest form of community direction. Bodies or councils of elders are shown to have functioned among ancient peoples from the earliest stages of human history. In their own experience, the Israelites, as descendants of Jacob, had earlier contact with elder bodies of Egypt, Moab and Midian. (Gen. 50:7; Num. 22:4, 7) Sheiks of Arabian peoples were also tribal elders, for the Arabic word sheikh means simply “elder,” or “older man.” (Gen. 36:15) Before Moses was commissioned to lead the people, Israel already had such elders, and it was to them that Moses was instructed to present the evidence of his divine appointment. (Ex. 3:16, 18) So Moses’ later action in Sinai, availing himself of the aid of elders to decentralize the handling of problems, was not a major innovation.

3. (a) What provision for congregational direction did the Greater Moses make? (b) How do the qualifications compare as regards the elders Moses selected and those serving as Christian elders?

³ In God’s due time, the Christian congregation was formed as a spiritual people, one that spread over all the earth. God’s Son, as the Greater Moses, caused direction to be provided through congregational bodies of elders. It is interesting to note the qualifications that Moses looked for in assigning Israelite elders to do responsible work and to compare these with the qualifications looked for in Christian elders. The similarity is evident in the accompanying chart:

4. What role did bodies of Israelite elders carry out in the Promised Land, and what role do Christian elders fulfill?

⁴ After Israel became established in the Promised Land, living in cities and villages, all the different communities were guided and aided by bodies of elders. (Josh. 20:4; Judg. 8:14, 16; 1 Sam. 16:4) They were to give wise counsel, help with problems, protect against apostasy and thus serve for the peace, good order and spiritual health of their respective communities. At times they were called on to fulfill judicial roles in settling disputes or in acting for the protection of the community. (Deut. 16:18-20; 19:12; 31:9; Ruth 4:1-11) They were to be a source of comfort and strength in times of crisis. (Isa. 32:1, 2) But they were not the taskmasters of their fellow residents nor were they authorized or responsible to try to live the personal lives of others for them.

In ancient Israel, as in other lands, it was evidently the case that when a man was noted by the local council of elders as manifesting qualities of godly wisdom, judgment and discretion he was then invited to form part of the council and share in its discussions and decisions.

[Chart on page 17]

(Ex. 18:21; Deut. 1:13) (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)